The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

When they arrived in Raozhou, refugees were still not allowed to enter the city.

However, there were still wealthy families setting up porridge stalls at the city gate to distribute porridge. Although there were only a few grains of rice and a lot of soil and sand mixed in, it did have a bit of rice aroma. There were still quite a few people queuing up every day. Many people built shacks near the city gate or dug a pit and slept in the pit, relying on two meals of porridge a day to survive. Skin and bones was not an enough description to describe these people. They were as thin as skeletons.

This is the largest and relatively safest state capital they have come across. A disagreement arose within the team at this time. Uncle Xu's family and Grandma Erya's family wanted to find a way to settle down in Raozhou. Even if they were poor, it didn't matter, at least they could live in peace.

Moreover, the wounds of Uncle Xu, second brother-in-law Liu Husheng, and Jinbao's father have not healed completely. They are still red, swollen, and festering after six or seven days. They are soft when pressed, and are as big as two children's fists. They have tried many medicines but none of them worked. They must be inappropriate for their condition. Uncle Xu's condition is the most serious. He can't lift his right arm at all now, and he has a fever from time to time. If he doesn't find a professional doctor to treat him, he will be useless.

Zhang Ping'an's attitude was very clear. Raozhou was not the best choice. He still had to continue going to Lin'an. After all, there was still hope in Lin'an. However, if anyone wanted to settle down here, he would not object.

Then, in the second half of the afternoon, he spent some money to ask the guards at the city gate. He learned that although the governor of Raozhou seemed to be a good person and could provide porridge, it was actually very difficult to enter the city, and it was even more difficult to settle down with his family!

Only scholars were not among the refugees. For example, a scholar could enter the city with his household registration card and scholar documents. If he wanted to settle down, he had to find an acquaintance in the city to act as a guarantor. A juren or jinshi could bring three to five relatives to settle down in the city.

To put it bluntly, inferior people are not allowed to come in!

However, this was unexpectedly good news for Zhang Pingan. Even if he couldn't find a place to stay, at least he could find a doctor to check the wounds of the people accompanying him. Otherwise, these people would probably die slowly. Wound infection was no joke, and he couldn't remain indifferent within his ability!

After discussing with everyone, Zhang Ping'an decided to go into the city immediately while it was still early. It would be best if he could invite a doctor out. Even if he couldn't, he could at least prescribe some medicine or know how to treat the disease, so as not to delay his journey at night.

With his status as a scholar, Zhang Ping'an paid the entrance fee and entered the city smoothly without having to queue.

Raozhou City is relatively smaller than Yingzhou and Yuezhou. The city is now a little more lively than he imagined. Compared with the outside of the city, it seems like a pure land.

Zhang Ping'an had a clear goal. After asking around, he went straight to the best clinic in the city. After explaining his symptoms to the doctor in charge, the old doctor stroked his beard and said slowly, "You need to use a bone scraper to cut and drain the wound to expel the poison. Then you can use Hongteng Baijiang Decoction to clear away heat, reduce swelling, and relieve pain. Only then can you recover!"

After saying this, he was afraid that Zhang Ping'an didn't understand, so he added: "Have you heard of Hua Tuo scraping the bone to treat Guan Yu's poison? It's the same method, but I don't have Ma Fei San."

Zhang Pingan naturally understood and asked, "Then can you come with me out of the city for treatment? I can pay you double the consultation fee!"

The old doctor had been practicing medicine for a lifetime and had witnessed life and death. Naturally, he understood the principle of self-preservation. Upon hearing this, he shook his head and said, "Leaving the city is impossible. I can write you a prescription, and you can go get the medicine yourself."

Zhang Ping'an asked with a glimmer of hope. It was indeed difficult to ask a doctor to go out of the city for treatment at this time.

"I understand. I understand. I'm asking too much. Doctor, can you tell me how the incision and drainage method is performed? To what extent can the poisonous gas be considered to be completely expelled? When should I stop taking this Hongteng Baijiang Decoction? I'll go back and try it myself," asked Zhang Ping'an.

Seeing Zhang Ping'an's modesty, the old doctor also wanted to help him. After thinking for a while, he said, "Well, how about this? I'll prescribe the prescription for you first, and let the medicine boy go and get the medicine. If someone with the same symptoms comes by now, you can watch by my side and I'll tell you how to drain it, and to what extent the pus and blood are considered clear. Then you can go back and try it yourself. At least you won't be blind. Whether it can be cured is up to fate. It's a matter of fate, and you don't need to take it to heart!"